Noble of the Night: Blood Oath

Chapter 12

Isabella glanced back at Aurora, who shot her a smug look as if saying, "What are you going to do about it?" Seeing that expression nearly made Isabella cough up blood in frustration.

*What did I do to deserve this?* In the past couple of days, she had somehow managed to attract both the attention of an annoying "companion" outside of school and malicious classmates within. Did she really look that easy to bully?

"If you can’t solve it, just say so. It’s a tough problem, and even if you studied secretly at home, it doesn’t mean you’d get it right," Aurora continued to mock.

Saint Delin was a school that specialized in preparing students for university entrance exams. The level of difficulty in the problems given was far beyond the average high school, and even university professors might have to ponder over some of the questions. And since Isabella was in one of the top classes, the complexity was even higher.

Hearing Aurora’s sneering remarks, Isabella could no longer hold back the anger bubbling inside her. Recently, she had been caught up in a whirlwind of bizarre events—trapped in nets, attacked by fellow vampires, hospitalized, and now, bullied by her own classmates. The frustration had been building up, and all she wanted was an outlet to release it. Forgetting her usual rule to stay low-key, Isabella stood up, unable to suppress her rage any longer.

"Since Aurora is so eager for me to solve this math problem, I guess I have no choice but to grant her wish," Isabella said, smiling politely at the teacher before making her way to the blackboard.

She took a quick glance at the problem, then turned to the teacher. "There are three ways to solve this problem. Which one would you prefer me to write out?"

The teacher was momentarily stunned. "Three methods? That’s impossible. At most, there are only two ways…"

"I’ll write all three for you then," Isabella replied confidently.

She grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing equations without hesitation. It was as if she didn’t even need to think—just writing one formula after another in rapid succession. The classroom fell completely silent, the only sound being the rhythmic scratch of chalk against the blackboard.

Within a short amount of time, Isabella had written out all three solutions. What astonished everyone was that she didn’t pause for a second to contemplate her next step; the correct answers seemed to flow from her effortlessly.

Throwing the chalk back into the holder, Isabella shot a defiant look around the room.

The entire class, including the teacher, sat in stunned silence. It was at that moment they realized that the seemingly ordinary, unassuming Isabella might just be something extraordinary. She wasn’t just a bookworm—she might actually be a genius.

"These are the three methods. I trust there are no problems with the answers?" Isabella said, glancing around at their dumbfounded faces. That’s when it hit her: she had just made a huge mistake.

*Oh no!* In her fit of anger, she had completely forgotten her rule of blending in and not drawing attention. Now, she had put herself in the spotlight, acting arrogant and showing off. This was sure to cause a commotion.

Her face twisted into a grimace as the realization set in. All her efforts over the past three years to stay under the radar were now completely wasted. There was no way she could avoid attention after this.

"Isabella, I’d like to see you in my office after class. I have something I’d like to discuss with you," the teacher’s voice broke through her thoughts.

Isabella’s heart sank. Everything went dark as if her future had suddenly become hopelessly bleak.

*Great,* she thought miserably. All her careful work over the years, gone up in smoke. She was done for.

Outside the classroom, birds chirped cheerfully in the trees, and sand danced lightly in the breeze. Despite Isabella’s inner turmoil, the world outside seemed completely unaffected, happily carrying on through this beautiful day.

On the balcony outside the classroom, a bat, an unusual sight during the day, hung upside down from the ceiling. Its beady eyes watched everything inside the classroom, and its mouth curled into a small smile, clearly amused by Isabella’s distressed expression.

The crescent moon hung high in the night sky as a slender figure wandered aimlessly through the streets.

She couldn’t believe her luck. All it took was one moment of lost composure, and now she was stuck. It was just a math problem, so why had they made such a fuss over it? After her performance, they had bombarded her with talk of gifted student programs, university entrance exams, and even forced her into some "T University" sponsorship exam.

*Humph!* When she was average and unremarkable, they all thought she was just a bookworm, barely worth their attention. Now that she had shown a bit of skill, they acted like she was some kind of genius, changing their attitudes completely. They were probably just trying to use her as a poster child to recruit more students.

*People really are such shallow creatures.*

Isabella trudged along the street, her heavy backpack weighing her down. She was exhausted from the day’s events and couldn’t wait to get home and rest. She was also tired of hiding, hanging upside down in trees at night just to avoid people. No matter what, she’d figure out a way to shake off that strange man.

Determined, she headed in the direction of home, hoping today wouldn’t bring her any more bad luck.

As she approached her apartment building, Isabella’s mind wandered to thoughts of her warm, soft bed and the massive 100-inch TV she had in front of it.

*Finally, I’ll get some proper rest.*

"Hey, kid, what are you doing back here? Didn’t you move out a couple of days ago?" A curious voice called out beside her.

She turned to see the building’s security guard. A strange sense of dread crept over her. Something didn’t feel right.

"Uncle, what do you mean I moved out?" Isabella asked, her stomach dropping. *Old people get forgetful,* she reasoned, hoping that the guard was just confused. Maybe he had developed dementia from playing too much mahjong.

"Come on, girl, don’t play dumb. Didn’t you and your fiancé move out the other day? I even helped you move your furniture. I was giving you a hard time about getting engaged so young, but then I saw your fiancé, and I understood. With a catch like that, I’d marry early too! He’s a good-looking fellow. You sure knew what you were doing."

*Fiancé?* Since when did she have a fiancé?

A heavy sense of foreboding settled in Isabella’s chest. If she wasn’t mistaken, this "fiancé" he was talking about was...

"Uncle, the person you’re talking about… was he a tall, blonde, green-eyed foreigner?" *Please, let me be wrong. Please, please, please.*

"Yep, that’s him! Good-looking guy too. Though that white doctor’s coat of his seemed a bit out of place. He’s a doctor, right?"

Isabella felt like a bolt of lightning had struck her. The world around her went dark.

The person the guard was describing was almost certainly Clyce. Only he could manage to look so out of place in a white coat. But how had he gotten into her apartment to move her things? She’d made sure to lock everything!

Isabella narrowed her eyes as she looked at the guard. "Uncle, I never gave him a key. How did he get inside?"

The guard scratched his head awkwardly, looking guilty. "Well… he said you two had a fight and that you’d changed your mind about giving him the key, but he’d already made an appointment with the movers, so…"

"So what?" Isabella snapped, knowing exactly what had happened.

"So… I gave him the spare key we keep here in the building office," the guard admitted sheepishly.

*s**t!* The guard had just handed over her spare key without a second thought. What was she even paying the two-thousand-yuan monthly management fee for if they handed out keys like candy? It felt like her hard-earned money had just disappeared into a bottomless pit.

Isabella rolled her eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that she was trying to be respectful of her elders, she would have given the overly helpful guard a serious scolding.

"What if he had been a thief, coming to rob me?"

"What kind of thief shows up in broad daylight with a bunch of movers? Besides, I remembered him from last time. You were having a heart attack, and he was so worried about you. I’ll never forget the look on his face. That guy’s not a crook!"

Isabella stared at the guard’s trusting face, not sure what to say. It was pointless to get mad at him now. The damage was already done. There was no point in yelling about it anymore.

*It must be Friday the 13th,* she thought miserably. *Why else would I be having such a terrible day?*

With a resigned sigh, she turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, kid?" the guard called after her.

She waved her hand dismissively without turning back. "I’m going to find my ‘beloved fiancé,’" she said sarcastically. *He won’t get away with this. I swear.*